Comments on: Please listen before shooting the messenger http://barbpetersen.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/please-listen-before-shooting-the-messenger/ transforming communications Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:01:48 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Michelle http://barbpetersen.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/please-listen-before-shooting-the-messenger/#comment-17 Michelle Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:01:48 +0000 http://barbpetersen.wordpress.com/?p=35#comment-17 Excellent post, Barb! In our industry it is all too easy for people to label us as "spin doctors" and brush off what we do. We are often left in the dark, as most of our efforts are invisible to the naked eye. Many PR agencies are kept hidden by their clients and are not outright recognized for their efforts. For these reasons, it's all too easy for people to say that our industry is full of smoke and mirrors. But with recent examples like the Maple Leaf Foods outbreak, it gives proof that PR is about more than deceit; it's about the public. Without the communications efforts from Maple Leaf and even the CFIA, it is inevitable that hundreds, if not thousands, more Canadians would have fallen ill to the tainted products. And much like your Earth Hour example, getting the food-warning message out changed the world ... for the better. And that's what PR is all about. Public Relations for the PUBLIC. Excellent post, Barb! In our industry it is all too easy for people to label us as “spin doctors” and brush off what we do. We are often left in the dark, as most of our efforts are invisible to the naked eye. Many PR agencies are kept hidden by their clients and are not outright recognized for their efforts. For these reasons, it’s all too easy for people to say that our industry is full of smoke and mirrors.

But with recent examples like the Maple Leaf Foods outbreak, it gives proof that PR is about more than deceit; it’s about the public. Without the communications efforts from Maple Leaf and even the CFIA, it is inevitable that hundreds, if not thousands, more Canadians would have fallen ill to the tainted products. And much like your Earth Hour example, getting the food-warning message out changed the world … for the better. And that’s what PR is all about. Public Relations for the PUBLIC.

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